Burnout and associated factors among secondary teachers in Douala, Cameroon

Introduction. - Burnout syndrome is a psychosocial phenomenon that occurs at workplaces. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and the factors associated to this pathology amongst the secondary school teachers in Douala. Material and methods. - The cross-sectional study was carried out in 5 governmental secondary schools based in Douala from November 15th, 2017 till May 31st, 2019. Volunteer participants totalizing 12 months of professional longevity were randomly selected and enrolled in the study sample. Data collection was completed using a self-administered questionnaire comprising sociodemographic variables, Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) to evaluate burnout, and Ricci-Gagnon physical activities level metrics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analytical statistics such as Chi(2), Fisher, Student test; & = 5% and P<5%. Results. - The participation rate is high (73.3%) and the sample is made up of 330 teachers, with a majority of women (52.8%). The mean age is 38 +/- 8 years. Burnout prevalence is high (78.8%) with 53.4 teachers in emotional exhaustion, 16.4% in depersonalization and 37.6% in low personal accomplishment. Burnout is associated to the high number of teaching hours, high ratio of students/teacher and the practice of vacations in other schools. No significant association was found between the burnout versus age, gender and practice of physical activities. Conclusion. - The prevalence of burnout syndrome is high among the teachers of Douala based governmental secondary schools. Although the practice of sport and physical activities did not protect them from burnout syndrome, incentives measures such as good salaries, performance bonuses and ban of teaching staffs moves to other ministries could help reduce its prevalence.